Saturday, February 17, 2018

We were privileged yesterday evening to have Cellist Kevin Maa join us at the Montanus Gallery for a photoshoot and impromptu 'concert'. Kevin is an accomplished musician, and has been auditioning for entrance into Rochester NY's acclaimed Eastman School of Music. (Visit these embedded links.)

Here are a few photos I took during our session. These are not typical 'portraits' but rather what I call 'candid portraits' that attempt to peer deeper into a person's being.

Portraits should offer more than perfectly lit images of someone's face. They should open a window to that person's essence.

We wish Kevin the very best in his artistic and professional endeavors!

Friday, February 9, 2018

Been a while since I've posted here. Seems that blogs tend to be considered "last century" with all the changing social media platforms these days. I retired in November of 2016, and have been busier than ever with my photography endeavors, road trips, photo essay exhibits, media coverage, and work at our gallery. I'll be off to Asia for a month in March/April for photo shoots and business talks.

To update anyone still following blogs, I was invited to be a gallery partner with noted Rochester photographer Jim Montanus over a year ago. This January we have moved with two other photography partners to Village Gate here in Rochester NY. Larger space, retail presence, and many exciting photo exhibits and events planned and in the works!

I invite you to look me up on Facebook: Rick Burnett Baker. (Have to use the middle name because of that Academy Award winning special effects artist Rick Baker).

Check out the Montanus Gallery Facebook page, Google my gallery partner Jim Montanus https://www.facebook.com/MontanusPhotography/ and his father Neil Montanus, https://www.montanusphotography.com who was a famous Kodak photographer for nearly 40 years. Neil did Walt Disney's official portrait that is still used by the Disney company today, and President Gerald Ford's official White House portrait as well. Neil will be 91 next month, and occasionally come into the gallery to greet fans.

Cheers to you all, and I'll try to post more often here going forward!

About Me

Currently in retail management in Upstate New York, Baker, a native Texan, is a graduate of State University of New York (Albany) with a BA in Asian Studies, (minor in classical Chinese literature), a Graduate Certificate in US Urban Policy, and a Masters (MRP) in Regional and Urban Planning, Third World. After several months in the early 70's with a mining company in Honduras he worked for three years in Saudi Arabia with a civil engineering firm from Houston, and worked throughout Southeast Asia, China, and Northern Africa with Halliburton for nearly a decade, based out of Singapore. During his years living in Singapore he was also known for his radio and television voice-over work. Baker returned to the US in 1985 to complete academic interests and continues to live in New York.